Olivet Nazarene University recognized the outstanding achievements of two Class of 2017 graduates during the 104th Commencement Convocation on May 6.
Andrea Wojciechowski received the Maggie Sloan Crawford Award as the outstanding female graduate in the Class of 2017. Andrea graduated in the seventh cohort of Olivet’s Honors Program with B.S. degrees in chemistry and biology.
While at Olivet, she was a member of the Tiger women’s track and field team. She is from Roselle, Illinois, and is the daughter of Diane and Bill Wojciechowski. She will be attending graduate school at Vanderbilt University for a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences.
“Andrea is a very able, gifted student,” says Dr. Greg Long, her research project mentor and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. “She puts in the time and hard work to make the most of her abilities. I am amazed at the way she accomplishes all that she does in so many different areas — and always with excellence.”
“Andrea’s honors research project was of such high caliber that I hope to continue and extend research in this area, involving additional students in the project,” he adds. “I look forward to keeping in touch with Andrea and following her career in biomedical/molecular biology research.”
Matt Reed received the Robert A. Milner Award as the outstanding male graduate in the Class of 2017. Matt graduated with B.A. degrees in political science and Spanish. He is from Plainfield, Indiana, and is the son of Gordon and Michelle Reed.
While at Olivet, he served as senior class president. He studied abroad and received the International Studies and Business Certificate from the University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. He volunteered with the Kankakee County (Illinois) Teen Court, and did Spanish-English interpretation and translation work for parent-teacher conferences in local Kankakee County schools.
For his internships, he worked at the Victims Assistance Department, Hendricks County (Indiana) Prosecutor’s Office and at the Department of Local Government Finance, State of Indiana. He will be attending law school at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in downtown Indianapolis as one of only two recipients in its Kennedy Scholars Program for the Class of 2020.
“Matt is a gifted scholar who has distinguished himself both inside and outside the classroom,” says Dr. David Van Heemst, mentor for Matt’s research project and chair of the Department of History and Political Science. “Beyond his intellectual gifts, Matt possesses a radiating faith. I’ve been thankful for his willingness to encourage his peers over the past few years. It will be exciting to see what he’ll accomplish for Christ and His kingdom.”
“Matt devoted himself to the Spanish major in order to become a linguistically and culturally competent speaker,” says Dr. Nancy Bonilla, chair of the Department of Modern Languages. “We are very proud of Matt in how he has already used his talents to serve God and others.”
For more information about Olivet’s areas of study, athletics program and study abroad opportunities, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@olivet.edu or 800-648-1463.
